Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 74

Devanagari script

तत्र नित्यं तपः कुर्वन्स्तौति नित्यं पितामहम् । स निर्विण्णो मुनिश्रेष्ठः प्राणानां धारणे हरे

Transliteration

tatra nityaṃ tapaḥ kurvanstauti nityaṃ pitāmaham | sa nirviṇṇo muniśreṣṭhaḥ prāṇānāṃ dhāraṇe hare

Translation

Dort übt er täglich Tapas und preist täglich Pitāmaha (Brahmā). Dieser beste der Munis, des bloßen Tragens der Lebenshauche überdrüssig, ist entsagt geworden, o Hari.

Word by Word

• तत्र: there
• तत्र: Adhikaraṇa (Location/अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatra (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; देशवाचक (locative adverb: ‘there’)

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन क्रियाविशेषणरूपेण नपुंसक-एकवचन-प्रयोग (adverbial accusative: ‘always’)

• तपः: austerity, penance
• तपः: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tapas (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन

• कुर्वन्: doing, performing
• कुर्वन्: Kartā (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √kṛ (कृ धातु) → kurvat (शतृ-प्रत्यय, वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: वर्तमान कृदन्त (शतृ/Present active participle); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; कर्तरि

• स्तौति: praises
• स्तौति: Kriyā (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √stu (स्तु धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• नित्यम्: always
• नित्यम्: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभावेन क्रियाविशेषण (adverbial accusative: ‘always’)

• पितामहम्: Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• पितामहम्: Karma (Object/कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pitāmaha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; द्वितीया (accusative), एकवचन

• सः: he
• सः: Kartā (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम; प्रथमा, एकवचन; पुंलिङ्ग

• निर्विण्णः: weary, disheartened
• निर्विण्णः: Kartā (Subject qualifier/कर्ता-विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir-√vid (विद् धातु) → nirviṇṇa (कृदन्त)
• Form: भूतकृदन्त (क्त); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन; ‘disgusted/weary’

• मुनि-श्रेष्ठः: the best of sages
• मुनि-श्रेष्ठः: Kartā (Apposition/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: muni (प्रातिपदिक) + śreṣṭha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: तत्पुरुष-समास (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘मुनीनां श्रेष्ठः’); पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा एकवचन

• प्राणानाम्: of the life-breaths
• प्राणानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; षष्ठी (genitive), बहुवचन

• धारणे: in retaining/maintaining
• धारणे: Adhikaraṇa (Sphere/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (locative), एकवचन; ‘in the holding/retaining’

• हरे: in/with regard to Hari
• हरे: Adhikaraṇa (Reference/अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: hari (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सप्तमी (locative), एकवचन; ‘in/for Hari’ (context: ‘in the matter of’)

Speaker

Bṛhaspati (continuing; addressing ‘Hari’ within the narrative as given in the verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Puṣkara

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: (Contextual) Śaunaka and sages at Naimiṣāraṇya / tīrtha-inquirer (frame typical)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An aged ascetic in a quiet forest hermitage performs daily austerities and hymns to Brahmā, his face serene yet detached, breath held in disciplined prāṇāyāma; distant gods observe with urgency.

Characters & Entities

• Dadhīci
• Pitāmaha (Brahmā)
• Hari

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Austerity joined with devotion leads to detachment; even sustaining life becomes secondary to higher realization.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The setting continues to be Prācī Sarasvatī’s bank and Puṣkarāraṇya, where Dadhīci practices tapas.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Tapas (austerity) and daily praise (stuti) of Pitāmaha (Brahmā) are described as Dadhīci’s regular practice.